Enhance your cooking with ingredients not found in everday grocery stores.

Jaime Jaramillo opens the door for a customer at Las Americas Latin Market in San Antonio on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Photo By Photos by Lisa Krantz / San Antonio Express-News

Leslie Perez shops at Las Americas Latin Market in San Antonio. International markets such as this one give cooks an impetus to branch out, using foods and spices that at one time were not available here.

Photo By San Antonio Express-News

Sandra Arenas holds her daughter, Gigi Arenas, 3, as they are checked out by David Jaramillo at Las Americas Latin Market in San Antonio on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Photo By San Antonio Express-News

Rene Calix works on inventory at Las Americas Latin Market in San Antonio on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. (There is an accent over the second e in Rene)

Photo By San Antonio Express-News

David Jaramillo walks by the front door next to an aisle of Peruvian foods at Las Americas Latin Market in San Antonio on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Recent Headlines

SAN ANTONIO — How many times have you enjoyed a dish at a restaurant so much that you want to make it at home? That can be difficult, especially when you want to make an ethnic dish, such as Vietnamese or Pakistani.

Many of the ingredients aren't available in everyday grocery stores. And if they are, they may be priced higher for convenience.

International markets offer a larger selection of items that are generally considerably cheaper, and there are quite a few of them here. A trip to the market(s) is like a field trip where you can discover something new.

Keep a running list of ingredients you need, or go through the recipes you've wanted to try but couldn't find the specialty items, and stock up on them all at once with trips to one or more markets.

Each market specializes in a region, although some are more international than others. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these carry most of the ingredients you'll need to expand your cooking repertoire.

The store is large, but there's no need to be intimidated because the staff is friendly and helpful. One stop was all it took to find everything on my Asian list. In the refrigerated cases, there are several kinds of red and yellow miso. Tim's is stocked with sauces, vinegars, noodles, vegetables, frozen foods and other pantry staples, such as Chinkiang black vinegar, zha cai preserved vegetables, and gochujang, a Korean red chile paste.

Since it's next door to Niki's Tokyo Inn, it's not surprising to find rice, nori and other items to make sushi, except for fresh fish and produce. Although a tiny place, Tokyo Mart carries the necessities, such as chopsticks and a variety of noodles and sauces. It was the only place where I found tare, a spicy sauce that's used to make yakitori. There is also a selection of used books in Japanese.

Vietnam Market, 5360 Walzem Road, 210-653-9911

This busy store stocks anything you might need to make Vietnamese, Thai and other Asian specialties. A meat/seafood market offers fresh crab, crawfish and pork belly by the pound ($2.99), goat meat and much more; a frozen fish area has seemingly unending options. Large bags of rice, rows of noodles, snacks and condiments fill this shop. A good assortment of fresh produce, including beautiful round green Thai and slender purple eggplant, dragon fruit, bitter melon, and more, are available. A helpful staff guides you through the wealth of options.

Hung Phong Oriental Market, 243 Remount Road, 210-655-8448.

In the middle of a residential neighborhood just off I-35 North, this large store doesn't let any space go to waste. Boxes of produce sit next to shelves of Asian products. Plastic coolers hold fresh and frozen fish, and several bins held live blue crabs on the day of our visit. Selections lean heavily toward Vietnamese, although plenty of Thai and Filipino ingredients also are available.

Formerly known as Aria, Deutsche Ecke sells specialty items from Europe and Japan, including a large assortment of British and German grocery items such as varieties of spatzle, Nielsen-Massey extracts and sausages. Lunch boxes are sold 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday-Friday for eating in or takeout.

Originally a warehouse that supplied restaurants, Gaucho Gourmet opened to the public last year, and the secret is out. The Ciorciari family imports foods from Argentina, Italy and Spain, including olive oil, vinegar, coffee, spices, cheese, meats, sweets and more.

This vegetarian store has three rooms, one for produce, one for large bags of grain and Bollywood DVDs and one for grocery items. Here you will find spices, canned and dried legumes, curries, prepared frozen foods, candies, spices in bulk and more.

Himalayan Bazar, 8466 Fredericksburg Road, 210-614-8600

About a year ago, this all-veggie store changed ownership, and it appears to be for the better. The store is more organized than it was on previous visits. It offers produce, cheeses, ghee in a variety of sizes, bulk spices and dried goods, such as cumin seeds, lentils and grains.

Most of the items here are from Central and South America and can't be found elsewhere in the city. There are name brands people would recognize from different countries, such as Lizano sauce from Costa Rica. Las Americas carries a large variety of Goya products, as well as similar brands from other countries. The store also carries teas, herbs, spices, cooking utensils, and meats and cheeses in its refrigerated case. Fresh produce is delivered mostly on Fridays. There are unique items, such as ñame, which is similar to a potato that's grown in Puerto Rico.

Ali Baba has one of the largest selections of imported international foods with a focus on Middle Eastern, Turkish, Indian-Pakistan, Eastern European and Persian. Every day, 18 varieties of fresh bread, mostly pita, are baked and sold. The expansive spice aisle is filled with whole and powdered items such as peppercorns, garam masala, curries, cinnamon and more. The bulk foods and produce section is stocked with dried fruits and nuts, as well fresh fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, onions, Persian cucumbers and jumbo pomegranates. Beef, lamb and chicken are cut up daily at the halal meat market. Frozen and refrigerated sections carry cheeses and prepared foods.